Israel-Gaza war: Red Cross says at least 22 people killed in raid that hits displaced civilians

CNN
—

The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 22 people were killed in an air strike that targeted civilians taking shelter in a refugee camp. South Gaza Friday.

The raid hit the tents of displaced people in the Palestinian town of Mawasi, parts of which the Israeli army designated as a humanitarian zone.

Israel is intensifying its operation in nearby Rafah, where it launched an attack last month as part of its campaign to dismantle Hamas in Gaza.

The International Committee said that after the raid, a nearby Red Cross field hospital received 22 bodies and 45 wounded.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society blamed Israel for the raid, saying it was dealing with significant loss of life. The Gaza Ministry of Health said that 25 people were killed and 50 wounded in the attack. CNN was unable to confirm casualty numbers.

The Israeli army said on Saturday that it was investigating the incident. “After the initial investigation, there was no direct attack carried out by the Israeli army against a Red Cross facility. The incident will be quickly investigated and its findings will be presented to our international partners.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced the highest death toll in the Gaza Strip in 24 hours since June 9. The ministry said that 101 people were killed in the last day, and 169 others were injured.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, one of its facilities was damaged in a raid on Friday.

In a post on the website The lives of civilians and humanitarian workers are at risk.

She added that “heavy-caliber projectiles” fell meters away from the facility.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the incident was one of several incidents that occurred in recent days after stray bullets hit ICRC facilities.

She said that parties to the conflict are obligated to take “all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on Saturday that the European Union “condemns the bombing that damaged the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Gaza and led to dozens of casualties.”

“There needs to be an independent investigation and those responsible must be held accountable,” Borrell said.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to Mawasi in recent weeks as Israeli operations expand in Rafah, located to the south. In recent days, Israeli military operations have taken place It penetrated west and north of the city of RafahAccording to accounts from inside Gaza, the IDF says it faced significant resistance from Hamas fighters.

Raed Al-Nims, spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, told CNN on Saturday that the Israeli army was “intensively targeting what it said were safe areas in Mawasi, Khan Yunis and Rafah.”

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said: “The situation in Rafah is very difficult. There are numbers of martyrs on the roads and in the camps that no one can reach.”

Mohammed Al-Mughair, a civil defense official in Rafah, told CNN that parts of central and western Rafah have been under fire since Friday, and that the Israeli army is now about one kilometer from the coast.

For its part, the Israeli army said on Saturday that its forces were continuing “targeted, intelligence-based operations in the Rafah area.”

Meanwhile, the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt, and insecurity near the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza, have led to a severe shortage of humanitarian aid, according to a number of agencies.

The total number of deaths in the Gaza Strip since October 7 is 37,551, while the number of infections has reached 85,911, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the situation in Gaza has become “total chaos,” hampering aid delivery efforts.

“Most trucks carrying humanitarian aid inside Gaza are now being looted, because this is a war different from any other,” Guterres said.

“Normally, in war there is one force that attacks, occupies part of the force’s territory, and then ensures security and administration of the areas it occupies. “Here, we have attacks, we have bombings, and then the groups move to other places.”